UN Programme, Agency or Fund

10 July 2015: The 'Our Common Future under Climate Change' international science conference (CFCC15) attracted almost 2,000 academics from close to 100 countries, the largest gathering of the scientific community in the lead-up to the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC. According to the outcome statement of the CFCC15, "2015 is a critical year for progress. The window for economically feasible solutions [to climate change] with a reasonable prospect of holding warming to 2°C or less is rapidly closing."

This conference will convene under the theme ‘Africa's Soil the New Frontier: Re-imagining Africa Food Security Now and into the Future under a Changing Climate'. The conference will explore how to sustainably tap into soil, one of Africa's key resources, in order to enhance food security and climate change resilience, while creating new employment opportunities for the continent's increasing youth population. Specific sessions will address a range of strategies to promote and transform ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) driven agriculture in Africa, including how to: build scalable and inclusive business models; tap into innovative financing; involve women and youth more effectively; harness education, information and communication technology, and data; scale up EBA extension and knowledge services; incentivize private sector involvement; and contribute to increased South-South cooperation and capacity building. Building on the thematic discussions, the conference will focus on how to maximize policy frameworks and develop an action plan for implementing and scaling up EBA approaches and agro-value chains across Africa.

The conference is co-organized by the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO) and the African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with a range of partners from UN Agencies, international research and policy organizations, civil society networks and the private sector.

8 July 2015: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) have released the 'Mitigation Advantage Report' at Our Common Future Under Climate Change Science Conference held by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France.

3 July 2015: At an event hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and AXA insurance company, high-level experts called attention to the misalignment between the current financial system and the goal of creating a sustainable, resource-efficient, low-carbon economy. Panelists called for considering environmental risk when determining financial risk and risk pricing, boosting financial education to increase access to financial services and favorably treating long-term investments that limit climate risks.

1 July 2015: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have jointly published a report titled ‘Heatwaves and Health: Guidance on Warning-System Development.' The report focuses on warning systems to address health risks posed by heatwaves, which are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change.

1 July 2015: During the month of June, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, the Adaptation Fund, the World Agroforestry Centre, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) DTU Partnership reported on climate finance projects and other related news. ADB, AfDB, GCF, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR), the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), the UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) launched publications.

1 July 2015: The Benefit-Sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) has supported a project across several states in Northern India, with focus on screening varieties of rice and other crops for climate resilience and storing the material in newly established seed banks. The project was implemented by the civil society organization Gene Campaign, in collaboration with Bioversity International and with the participation of 25,000 farmers.

26 June 2015: Parliamentarians from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have joined in an effort to reduce the impacts caused by natural threats, epidemics and manmade hazards, by setting up a mechanism that aims to boost governance to reduce disaster risk and reinforce the capacity of populations to build sustainable livelihoods. The East African Disaster Risk Reduction Parliamentarian Platform was established during a June 2015 meeting, organized by the Government of Uganda with support from the World Bank and in collaboration with the Uganda Parliamentarian Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

30 June 2015: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released a publication that provides a consolidated roadmap for future weather research in order to foster the science required to reduce the vulnerability of society to high-impact weather. The publication, ‘Seamless Prediction of the Earth System: From Minutes to Months,' synthesizes discussions and outcomes of the World Weather Open Science Conference held in Montreal, Canada, in August 2014. For the first time ever, the Conference brought together the weather science and user communities to review the most recent developments in the field and map out the future scientific frontiers.

With a focus on "innovative approaches to implement climate change adaptation," the World Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation (WSCCA-2015) will aim to: provide researchers, civil society and firms from around the world an opportunity to present their work on adaptation; foster the exchange of information, good practice, ideas, experiences and successes acquired in executing adaptation projects; discuss methodological approaches derived from case studies and projects; and provide an opportunity for participants to explore possibilities for cooperation. It will also document and disseminate the existing body of knowledge and experiences on climate change through a book titled 'Innovative Approaches to Implement Climate Change Adaptation' and through a special issue of 'International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management'. Among the event's organizers are the International Climate Change Information Programme (ICCIP), the UN University (UNU) Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the European Environment Agency (EEA).